Telephone handset containing a remedial device

ABSTRACT

A remedial signal for potentially harmful radiation that is emitted by a portable electronic battery powered communication device is implemented directly within the handset of the portable communication device the portable communication device is operated by a microprocessor ( 3 ) and the remedial signal module is controlled by an algorithm in the microprocessor ( 3 ) wherein the algorithm obtains information concerning radio frequency communications associated with the portable telecommunications device from the transceivers ( 1 ) of the device.

FIELD

The present invention relates to methods and apparatus for protectingliving systems from potentially adverse effects upon them from electricfields, magnetic fields and electromagnetic fields. The invention isparticularly concerned with protection from potentially adverseradiation from modern day battery powered mobile telecommunicationshandsets which are used for a variety of functions including both voiceand data transmission. In particular the invention is concerned withprotection when the handset is used in close proximity to the body, inparticular the head, as is often the case during voice transmission.

BACKGROUND

All electromagnetic radiation consists of oscillating electric andmagnetic fields and the frequency, which is the number of times persecond at which the wave oscillates, determines their properties and theuse that can be made of them. Frequencies are measured in hertz or Hz,where 1 Hz is one oscillation per second, 1 kHz a thousand, 1 MHz is amillion, and GHz, is a thousand million. Frequencies between 30 KHz and300 GHz are widely used for telecommunications, including broadcastradio and television, and comprise the radio frequency band.

Cellular mobile services operate at frequencies authorised bygovernments and typically operate within the frequency ranges 800-3000MHz and they may operate at different frequencies in different countriesor continents. Examples of currently authorised frequencies are thefollowing bands to the terrestrial mobile telecommunications IMT-2000:806-960 MHz, 1,710-2,025 MHz, 2,110-2,200 MHz and 2,500-2,690 MHz. Moreinformation can be found athttp://en.wikopedia.org/wiki/cellular-frequencies. These frequencies arewithin the microwave frequency band which encompasses the range between300 MHz and 300 GHz. Other applications within this range include radar,telecommunication links, satellite communications, weather observationand medical diathermy. This invention is particularly useful withdevices that operate on frequencies used for cellular telephones.

A radio frequency wave used to carry information in radio communicationsis referred to as a carrier wave. The radio frequency carrier wave ofany system is produced by the transmitter as a sine wave, or otherregular waveform. A carrier wave conveys no information if itsproperties do not vary in time. If the carrier wave is to convey anyinformation, for instance, speech, music or digitized data, thisinformation has to be added to it in some way. The process of varyingone or more properties of a carrier signal with respect to theinformation that it is to carry is known as modulation. Properties ofthe carrier wave that may be varied through modulation include forinstance, amplitude, frequency, phase or any combination of these. Forexample, for AM (amplitude modulation) transmission, the electricalsignal from a microphone produced by speech or music is used to vary theamplitude of the carrier wave, so that at any instant the size oramplitude of the RF carrier wave is made proportional to the size of theelectrical modulating signal. In FM (frequency modulation), theinstantaneous frequency of the carrier deviates from the carrierfrequency by an amount dependent on the strength of the modulatingsignal. Phase modulation (PM) is a form of modulation that representsinformation as variations in the instantaneous phase of a carrier wave.FM and PM are very commonly used for current day radio communications.

A mobile phone (cell phone) sends and receives information (voicemessages, text messages, emails, fax, computer data, downloadsinformation etc.) by radio communication. Radio frequency signals aretransmitted from the phone to the nearest base station and incomingsignals (carrying the information from the source to which the phoneuser is listening) are sent from the base station to the phone at aslightly different frequency. Base stations link mobile phones to therest of the mobile and fixed phone network. Once the signal reaches abase station it can be transmitted to the main telephone network,usually by an optical fibre network.

Each base station provides radio coverage to a geographical area knownas a cell. Base stations (BS) are connected to one another by a mobileservices switching centre (MSC), which tracks calls and transfers themas the caller moves from one cell to the next. An ideal network may beenvisaged as consisting of a mesh of hexagonal cells, each with a basestation at its centre. The cells overlap at the edges to ensure themobile phone users always remain within range of the base station.Without sufficient base stations in the right locations, mobile phoneswill not work. If a person with a mobile phone starts to move out of onecell into another, the controlling network hands over communications tothe adjacent base station.

There are conflicting views as to the effects of electric fields,magnetic fields and electromagnetic fields on living systems. Howeverthere is considerable evidence showing that certain fields are able totrigger a range of biological effects in various biological systems andthat these effects may be damaging to living systems including humans.There are now also a growing number of studies linking mobile phone useto serious health issues such as childhood leukemia, brain tumours andfertility. It may also be that the detrimental effects are long term andtheir full impact has not yet been realised. WO 02/00468 recognises thatthe reaction may be harmful and provides a system that detects radiationand issues a warning if it is considered harmful. It does not howevertake any remedial action to rectify the situation.

There has been a dramatic increase around the world in the use ofelectrically operated devices particularly battery powered hand heldmobile telephones. All such devices have associated with themelectromagnetic field emissions which, to varying degrees, have thepotential to affect human health. Of particular interest are devicesthat transmit radio frequency (RF) signals and are used in closeproximity to the human body particularly the head, for instance handheld cellular phones and other personal communication devices. At issueis the possibility that the safety standards under which these devicesare manufactured, which establish RF exposure limits to the users ofthese devices, may not adequately account for effects below the thermalthreshold, that is, at exposure levels well below levels that canproduce measureable heating and can be attributed to direct energytransfer. The potential for such low level effects is supported bysubstantial evidence from epidemiologic studies and laboratory researchwhich suggests that any measures that could reduce and/or minimize theeffects of such exposure would be beneficial to the users of thesedevices. Laboratory research also suggests that the severity of impactfrom RF exposure at non-thermal levels is dependent on the modulationcharacteristics of the RF signal, in particular amplitude variations inthe low frequency envelope. Signals that display a greater degree ofregularity have been shown to have greater biological impact.

Modern mobile devices include a wide range of services which employcomplex communication schemes operating in different modes (GSM, 3G, 4Getc.). In the operation of such devices, the modulation characteristicsof transmitted RF signals can vary substantially depending on the modeof operation and the type of information that is being transmitted, forinstance, voice or data. Accordingly, the extent of biological effectscan also vary. It is therefore desirable that a remedial system becapable of assessing the nature of the modulation to determine thepotential extent of biological impact. Furthermore, such a remedialsystem should be compact and adaptable for use in different telephonehandsets. Additionally it is desirable that the remedial system operateseffectively, is only used when required as determined by the mode ofoperation of the personal communication device and hence consumes littlepower from the battery to preserve battery life.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,544,665 is concerned with the protection of livingsystems from the harmful effects of electromagnetic fields and statesthat certain fields have an effect on the enzyme ornithinedecarboxylase. The patent states that the potentially damaging effectcan be reduced or eliminated if the detrimental electromagnetic field isaltered either by switching the field on and off or superimposing anelectromagnetic noise field upon it. The patent further states that theeffect can only be reduced if such alteration causes relevantcharacteristic properties of the field to change in time at intervals ofless than 5 seconds and preferably at intervals from 0.1 to 1 second.The characteristic properties that can be changed are said to befrequency, phase, direction, waveform or amplitude. Similar effects arediscussed in Bioelectromagnetics 14 395-403 (1993) andBioelectromagnetics 18 388-395 (1997).

U.S. Pat. No. 5,544,665 dates from 1991 and describes variousapplications of the bio-protection scheme including applications tocellular telephones of the type available at that time which were bulkyand used only for voice transmission. The EMX Corporation has promotedbatteries for such cellular telephones that make use of the technologydescribed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,544,665. When used with a cellular phone,these batteries are said to produce an electromagnetic noise field thatis superimposed over the local RF field generated by the operation ofthe telephone for voice transmission thereby causing the total field tobe irregular and thus not likely to cause biological effects. The noisewas generated by a coil forming part of the battery pack. Activation ofthe noise was accomplished by monitoring the flow of electric currentfrom the battery to the phone and using this as an indirect means todetermine when the phone was transmitting RF fields that were likely toproduce biological effects. This activation technique worked reasonablywell with older phones but proved to be unreliable with newer phonesthat now have many more applications that demand power from the batterybut do not produce RF fields. Use of such applications could cause falsetriggering of the noise and potentially unnecessary and unacceptablereduction in battery life.

GB Patent Application 2482421 A provides a system involving a personalcommunication device such as a mobile telephone and when the device isin operation the system outputs a low frequency modulated RF confusingfield from an RF transmitter located within the personal communicationdevice. There is no differentiation of the type of signal emitted by thedevice and hence the confusing field is applied when it may not beneeded, this is costly and the constant generation of the confusingsignal is power consuming.

In WO 2012/041514 we describe technology that addresses these issues andprovides a process, an apparatus and systems for the reduction orelimination of the potentially harmful effect on humans or animal lifecaused by exposure to electromagnetic fields produced by devices thatoperate by transmitting RF signals. The technology comprises a deviceprovided with separate means to reduce or eliminate the potentiallyharmful effect of the RF signals and further provided with a module thatsenses and analyse RF fields and assesses their ability to producebiological effects. This module then activates the means to reduce oreliminate the potentially harmful effect of the measured RF signals onhumans or animal life based on the outcome of that assessment. Themodule may be provided as a separate unit within the communicationdevice.

It has been proposed that a remedial signal for potentially harmfulradiation that is emitted by a portable electronic battery poweredcommunication device can be generated by means of a separate circuitprovided within the communication device. The circuit comprising anantenna for detecting the potentially harmful radiation, an analyticalmodule that analyses the detected signal to determine if it ispotentially harmful, if so to generate a remedial signal which ispreferably a low frequency magnetic field. The module being operated bya separate microcontroller which activates the remedial signal generatorwhich has been described as being a component such as a coil associatedwith the battery of the communication device.

The operation of modern day portable telecommunication systems relies onthe handset microprocessor which gathers various wireless communicationdata from the handset transceivers and implements the appropriateactivities within the handset. According to PCT publication (as before)provide an additional algorithm (the remedial algorithm) within thehandset microprocessor the microprocessor can additionally control theoperation of a remedial signal module such as a low frequency magneticfield. The algorithm therefore operates within the handsetmicroprocessor and can be stored in the programme memory.

In our PCT application PCT/IB2015/060021 we describe how a remedialsignal generator can be incorporated into a telephone handset and theprovision of an appropriate remedial signal can be controlled by themicroprocessor that provides the operating system of the telephone. Thepresent invention provides improvements to the technology described inPCT application PCT/IB2015/060021.

SUMMARY

A system for the generation of a remedial signal for potentially harmfulradiation that is emitted by a portable electronic battery poweredcommunication device wherein the bioprotection system is implementeddirectly within the handset of the portable communication device inwhich the portable communication device is operated by a microprocessorand the remedial signal module is controlled by an algorithm in themicroprocessor wherein the algorithm obtains information concerningradio frequency communications associated with the communication devicefrom the transceivers of the device and also ensures that the remedialsignal does not impair the function of other components of the device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram showing how the mode of operation ofa handset can be monitored.

FIG. 2 illustrates an activity flow chart of the handset.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The provision of the remedial signal can interfere with other operationsof a modern day cellular telephone. For example many phones are now ableto take photographs and it is necessary to stabilise the camera functionof the telephone to enable effective and accurate photography. We havefound that the provision of the remedial signal can disrupt thestabilisation of the camera function. Accordingly, in one embodiment ofthis invention the remedial signal is deactivated when camerastabilisation is in operation. This may be accomplished by the provisionof means within the microprocessor in the handset that detects whencamera stabilisation is in operation and overrides or halts the remedialsignal. Alternatively the component that stabilises the camera can beshielded from the device (such as a coil or antenna) that provides theremedial signal either by positioning the two components in locationswhere they cannot interfere with each other or by physically shieldingone from the other. The latter is not preferred as it adds an additionalcomponent to the system, taking up room in an already very crowdedtelephone handset.

Modern day telephone handsets contain large amounts of components,electronics, circuity within a very limited space and the trend is toprovide more and more facilities without increasing the size of thehandset or maybe even reducing the size of the handset. It is thereforeimportant that the components are optimally positioned relative to eachother to get the best performance from the smallest possible component.The remedial signal generator which according to PCT applicationPCT/IB2015/060021 is controlled by the microprocessor in the handset istypically a coil or an antenna. Accordingly in order to optimiseperformance the signal generator should be mounted in close proximity tothe transmitters within the handset which are responsible for thegeneration of the potentially harmful radiation. In this way theremedial signal can be aligned with the signal from the transmitters toprovide maximum signal coupling and hence the optimum remedial effect.This also allows the remedial signal generating component to be as smallas possible and is preferably a coil or an antenna of thickness notgreater than 3 mm preferably no greater than 2 mm. Several generatorcomponents can be provided in a single telephone handset in order toallow them to be small and yet have the maximum desired remedial effect.

In operation the remedial algorithm obtains information concerning radiofrequency communications associated with the portable telecommunicationdevice from the transceivers of the device. Such information includesthe RF communications mode (voice or data, GSM, 3G or 4G etc.), and canalso include the power level and timing of the RF signal, thisinformation is then used to determine if a remedial signal is requiredand if so the nature, strength and duration of the signal that should begenerated.

FIG. 1 provides a block diagram showing how the mode of operation of thehandset can be monitored and the requirements for a remedial signal canbe assessed, an appropriate remedial signal activated by an algorithmwithin the handset microprocessor and an override can be provided whenother components are functioning to ensure their function is not imputedby the remedial signal.

Accordingly the invention provides a battery powered personalcommunication device operated by a microprocessor wherein themicroprocessor contains means for assessment of the risk of thegeneration of potentially harmful radiofrequency radiation produced bysuch devices together with means activatable according to the assessmentof the risk for the activation of a remedial device for the reduction orelimination of the potentially harmful effect on humans or animal lifecaused by exposure to such radiation and further provided with means toensure that the signal provided by the remedial device does notadversely impact the function of other components within the handset.

The design minimizes the number of components required, saves space andis more economical to produce. Additionally it minimizes powerconsumption. In the preferred embodiment means are provided to monitorthe power drain on the battery and the application conditions aremonitored and the maximum power drain is set accordingly. Power draincan be set to be at its lowest when the battery is in storage, somewhathigher when the battery is connected to the phone and battery voltage isabove a certain acceptable level, and highest but still as low aspossible when RF is being generated and needs to be assessed. In allcases battery voltage is measured and in the last two environments bothbattery voltage and the RF signal are measured. The power managementcontrol may conveniently be implemented by software which is executedwithin the microprocessor.

Rather than depleting the battery by applying the protection signaluntil the battery is fully depleted, battery monitoring can ensure thatsufficient battery life remains to allow for cellular communication. Themonitoring function does not consume significant energy, and thereforeit need not be disabled. It is one of the many tasks which executeconcurrently on the cell phone. By monitoring battery voltage, andlimiting protection signal generation to use above a certain batteryvoltage, the user has the ability of using the cellular telephone nearthe end of battery life (emergency communications, for example) withoutthe protection signal depleting the battery.

The microprocessor in the handset monitors the communications mode (GSM,3G, 4G) and handset mode (voice or data) and output power of wirelesstransceivers in the cell phone. Using this information, themicroprocessor determines when to activate the protection signal. Ingeneral, amplitude variation patterns for voice transmission aredifferent than for data transmission and are characteristic of signalsthat are more likely to cause biological effects. Furthermore, voicetransmission often implies proximity of the handset to the head whichalso increases the likelihood of biological effects. Therefore,identification of the communication mode is important in thedetermination of potential biological impact. Accordingly,identification of the communication modes can be used to determine therequired level of the remedial signal. By way of example themicroprocessor can differentiate between GSM voice communication mode,GSM data communication mode, 3G or 4G voice communication mode and 3G or4G data communication mode. The differentiation is preferably performedby an analytical module within the handset microprocessor that isprogrammed to detect the different communication modes.

The remedial signal can then be activated according to the communicationmode and handset mode as determined by the microprocessor and thestrength of the remedial signal can be tailored to the mode of operationand the radiation it will generate. For example, if the remedial signalstrength in relation to GSM voice communication is deemed to be 100%,for voice communication for 3G, 50% may be sufficient whereas for 3Gdata communication 25% may be required. The microprocessor can beprogrammed to cause the remedial signal generator to provide signals ofthe appropriate strength according to the analysis of the signalsreceived. The strength of the potentially harmful radiation variesdepending on the location and proximity to a base station and themicroprocessor can monitor the strength of the possibly harmfulradiation. The power of the remedial signal can be tailored to the modeof operation as described in PCT application PCT/IB2015/060021 and itcan also be continuously and simultaneously tailored to the power orstrength of the potentially harmful radiation either matching the powerlevels of the two signals or allowing them to vary proportionate to oneanother. In a preferred embodiment the strength of the remedial signalis always greater than or equal to the strength of the potentiallyharmful radiation and the root mean squared value may be used as themeasure of strength. The remedial signal is preferably a magnetic field,more preferably a random low frequency magnetic field.

In our preferred design the handset microprocessor operates the entiresystem and it also operates a timer to check periodically if thepotentially harmful signal is present. In operation the microprocessorrecognises the communication mode and handset mode that are operatingand determines the level of protection that should be applied. Theinvention therefore employs a microprocessor programmed to recognise keycharacteristics of the entire phone system to determine whetherbiological effects are likely to occur and whether the protective signalis required and that it does not impair other functions.

The invention therefore allows the strength of the remedial signal to betailored according to the nature of the potentially harmful radiationwhich in turn depends upon the detected mode of operation of thetelecommunication handset and the varying power or strength of thepotentially harmful radiation.

In the preferred embodiment means are also provided to monitor the powerdrain and the application conditions are monitored and as discussed thepower drain is set accordingly. As discussed the power managementcontrol may conveniently be implemented by software which is executedwithin a microprocessor and many functions can be implemented withinsuch a microprocessor. In particular it can monitor parameters such asbattery voltage: sourced from circuit that connects to the battery. Themicroprocessor monitors the operational modes of the handset. Themicroprocessor also activates output parameters such as theBioprotection noise signal. Furthermore it also ensures that theremedial signal does not impair the function of other systems within thehandset. Additional functions which can be implemented in the softwareinclude application state classification and power management,implementation of application state monitoring, control algorithms andto determine whether the device is operating in voice mode such asanalog to digital conversion means from the microphones or through theuse of a Bit Chip Set used to modulate voice data.

The invention may be applied to most electronic devices that operate bytransmitting RF signals which could be potentially harmful to human oranimal life, but it is particularly useful with battery powered personalcommunication devices, such as cellular telephones, that are used inclose proximity to the human body particularly to the head. Theinvention provides a system that can be readily used with a variety ofmobile phone designs and their associated batteries and accessories.

Earlier studies have shown that RF radiation can cause potentiallyharmful effects if it is regular, meaning that it has constantproperties, and is continuously applied for periods of over 10 secondsand that the potential harm can be substantially eliminated if theregularity period is reduced to no more than 1 second. The means toeliminate the potential harm used in the present invention maysuperimpose an electromagnetic noise field on the potentially harmfulradiation to produce a combined field that is irregular in time, meaningthat it does not have constant properties in time, and therefore nolonger has the potential to cause harm. Use of the noise field, which isalso referred to as the remedial signal, allows for use of theelectronic device without altering the manner in which it operates.

The invention is particularly useful with modern day multifunctionalbattery operated personal communication devices. In the preferredembodiment the potentially harmful effect of the RF radiation isinhibited by a means that generates an appropriate remedial signal thatis superimposed on the RF signal to provide a combined signal that isirregular and therefore has no bio-effecting consequence. Any suitablemeans may be used but the means may comprise an inductive coil which isactivated to produce the remedial signal field, primarily magnetic innature, employing power from the battery of the cellular telephone, asmentioned previously the means should be as small as possible consistentwith the required performance. One or more coils of thickness no morethan 3 mm have been found to be particularly useful.

The preferred system comprises an electronic circuit that comprises amicroprocessor that determines the communications mode and handset modeand the power of the potentially harmful radiation, and determines fromthis the level of protection to apply before activating the appropriateprotection and then continuing to monitor and vary the remedial signaldepending on any ongoing changes to the potentially harmful radiation.

The invention therefore provides more specifically, a remedial devicewithin the handset of a battery powered personal communication devicethat emits RF transmissions potentially harmful to humans or animallife, the remedial device being activated by a microprocessor whichdetermines the communications mode and handset mode and deduces thepresence of said RF transmissions. The remedial device includes aremedial signal generator means, being arranged to establish a remedialelectromagnetic field in the vicinity of the handset. The handset alsoincludes means that monitor the other functions of the handsetcomponents which activates means to ensure they are not adverselyimpaired by the remedial signal such as by temporarily terminating theremedial signal or shielding the other function. In a preferredembodiment power management is implemented to conserve battery power.The determination of communication and handset modes differentiatesbetween signals generated by voice communication and those generated byother forms of communication such as data communication and on thisbasis activates the appropriate remedial signal deemed to be requiredfor the particular communication and/or handset mode.

The mode sensing by the handset microprocessor enables supply of powerfrom the handset battery to said remedial signal generator (or selectedparts thereof). The remedial signal generator may include a remedialsignal control module, which provides a control signal to the powersource, and a control signal to a remedial signal generator module, forgenerating the desired form of remedial signal. Control of the remedialsignal is responsive to the sensing by the microprocessor, and employsthe handset microprocessor to execute one or more algorithms forcontrolling the remedial signal generator.

The remedial signal generator may include a digital noise generator,which is coupled through digital to analogue conversion means and filtermeans, for providing an analogue form of the remedial signal, to a coilwhich provides a means for establishing the remedial field in theneighbourhood of the handset.

The radiation with which this invention is particularly concerned isthat emitted by the cellular telephone when it is transmitting orreceiving information especially voice information and particularly whenit is transmitting voice information as this tends to generate more RFsignals and in particular when it is transmitting or receiving speech asthat is generally the time when the telephone is in closest proximity tothe head, and transmission radiation occurs for a significant length oftime so increasing the likelihood of inducing harmful biologicaleffects.

In operation therefore the cellular telephone will be activated for useand may immediately generate the potentially harmful radiation at theparticular predetermined frequency. That the radiation may be harmfulwill be determined by the microprocessor sensing the communication modeand the handset mode in operation and, if deemed to be required themicroprocessor will then activate the remedial signal (noise) generatormeans that converts the constant potentially harmful radiation to arandom benign wave pattern. The microprocessor can also detect whencommunications end and the potentially harmful radiation is no longerbeing generated and can then deactivate the remedial signal until thenext time that it is required. Negation of the potentially harmfuleffect of the radiation generated by use of a cellular telephone can beachieved with a remedial signal, preferably an electromagnetic signal,having a frequency preferably in the range 30 Hz to 90 Hz preferably inthe range 40 Hz to 60 Hz.

Furthermore, the microprocessor can detect which other functions of thedevice (such as the camera function) are in operation and ensures thattheir function is not impaired by the remedial signal. If a function ispotentially impaired by the remedial signal means are provided tooverrule the bioprotection system and ensure that the remedial signal isnot activated or that it is deactivated when the function is in use.

PCT publication WO2015/124744 describes how a microprocessor positionedwithin the handset can monitor the microphone of the handset todetermine if the user is speaking. This information can be used to alterthe remedial signal according to the proximity of the handset to theuser to optimise the protection. This invention makes use of additionalsensors that may be found in the communications device such as anaccelerometer and a light sensor in order to help more accuratelydetermine the proximity of the device to the user. The estimatedproximity can be calculated using an algorithm in the microprocessor.Proximity of the radiation emitting device is a key factor inascertaining the likelihood and extent of the biological effects beinginduced by electromagnetic radiation. Use of data from these sensorsalongside core data collected from the transceivers allows the device tomake a good assessment of when the remedial signal should be applied andmay also be used to tailor the remedial signal depending on theestimated proximity of the device to the user. In an alternative andsimplified embodiment one or a number of sensors including but notlimited to the microphone, accelerometer and light sensor may be used asthe sole means of determining when protection is required. Theadditional sensors provide means to estimate the proximity of the deviceto the user which may also be useful in terms of scientific research andhence it may also be useful to record the information.

When the remedial device is integrated into the handset it is importantthat the user is able to interact with the device and as such theinvention provides means to inform the user when the remedial device isactive. More specifically the software may facilitate the appearance ofan icon on the screen of the handset that indicates that the remedialdevice is either monitoring or active. The device may also work with auser facing application that allows the user to access and viewinformation that is recorded by the remedial device and also controloperational aspects of the remedial device.

The invention is illustrated by reference to the accompanying figurewhich is a schematic drawing of the components which may be presentwithin a cellular telephone handset (not shown) for performance of theinvention.

The handset contains cellular transceivers (1) and other radio frequencytransceivers (2) for performing the various functions required of thecellular telephone. The microprocessor (3) operates the transceivers andalso receives digital information from the transceivers indicating themode of operation of the telephone and the extent of the operation. Themicroprocessor contains program memory (4) and optionally data memory(5). Additional sensors (6) including a microphone (7) an accelerometer(8) and a light sensor (9) may provide additional data information tothe microcontroller (3). The program memory of the microprocessorassesses the information received from the transceivers and additionalsensors and determines if the mode of operation and proximity will causepotentially harmful radiation. If this is deemed to be the case themicroprocessor will activate the bioprotection system (10) by sending adigital signal to a digital/analogue converter (11) and the convertedsignal activates the driver (12) to provide the desired remedial signalfrom the bioprotective field coil (13).

The operation of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 is illustrated by theactivity flow chart that is FIG. 2.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2 the system is initiated by theactivity of the transceiver to gather information concerning the statusof the system such as signal strength(s), signal mode(s) and protocol(s)and signal timing(s). Additionally information from additional sensorsis collected and the information is analysed and recorded by therecordal facility, for example the signal envelope, the signal strength,the estimated proximity to the user and the duration of the signal maybe analysed and recorded. On this basis it can be determined if aprotective signal is required and the nature of the protective signaland the protective signal may then be activated for an intervaldetermined by a timer. The nature and duration of the protective signalmay also be recorded.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A system for generation of a remedialsignal for potentially harmful radiation that is emitted by a portablecommunication device which is electronic and battery powered comprising:a) a bioprotection system implemented directly within a handset of theportable communication device; b) a microprocessor which operates theportable communication device and is configured to access informationfrom other components of the portable communication device separate fromthe bioprotection system; c) a remedial signal module controlled by analgorithm in the microprocessor; wherein the algorithm obtainsinformation concerning radio frequency communications associated withthe portable communication device and ensures that the remedial signaldoes not impair a function of the other components of the portablecommunication device by overruling the bioprotection system to ensurethat the remedial signal is not activated or that the remedial signal isdeactivated when the other components are in use; and wherein the othercomponents include a camera of the portable communication device.
 2. Thesystem according to claim 1, wherein the portable communication deviceis a cellular telephone handset.
 3. The system according to claim 2,wherein the remedial signal is generated by operation of the remedialsignal module within the cellular telephone handset.
 4. The systemaccording to claim 1, wherein the information is used to determine ifthe remedial signal is required.
 5. The system according to claim 1,wherein the information includes a mode of operation.
 6. The systemaccording to claim 1, wherein the information includes a power level andtiming of a radio frequency signal of the radio frequencycommunications.
 7. The system according to claim 1, wherein theinformation is used to determine a nature, a strength and a duration ofthe remedial signal that should be generated.
 8. The system according toclaim 1, wherein a strength of the remedial signal is greater than orequal to a strength of the potentially harmful radiation.
 9. The systemaccording to claim 1, wherein the remedial signal is continuouslytailored depending on a mode of operation; and wherein the mode ofoperation includes a communications mode and a handset mode.
 10. Thesystem according to claim 1, wherein the information includesinformation from a plurality of additional sensors concerning aproximity of the portable communication device to a user; and whereinthe plurality of additional sensors include a microphone, anaccelerometer, and a light sensor.
 11. A system for generation of aremedial signal for potentially harmful radiation that is emitted by aportable communication device which is electronic and battery poweredcomprising: a) a handset as part of the portable communication device;b) a bioprotection system implemented directly within the handset of theportable communication device; c) a microprocessor which operates theportable communication device and is configured to access informationfrom other components of the portable communication device separate fromthe bioprotection system; d) a remedial signal module controlled by analgorithm in the microprocessor; wherein the algorithm obtainsinformation concerning radio frequency communications associated withthe portable communication device including information from a pluralityof additional sensors concerning a proximity of the portablecommunication device to a user; wherein the algorithm ensures that theremedial signal does not impair a function of the other components ofthe portable communication device by overruling the bioprotection systemto ensure that the remedial signal is not activated or that the remedialsignal is deactivated when the other components are in use; and whereinthe plurality of additional sensors include a microphone, anaccelerometer, and a light sensor.
 12. The system according to claim 1,wherein the remedial signal is generated by a remedial signal generatorwhich is aligned with transmitters of the portable communication deviceto allow coupling of the remedial signal and the potentially harmfulradiation.
 13. The system according to claim 12, wherein the remedialsignal generator comprises a coil aligned with the transmitters in theportable communication device.
 14. The system according to claim 12,wherein the remedial signal generator includes the use of multiplecoils.
 15. The system according to claim 13, wherein a remedial deviceincludes a user facing application that allows a user to accessinformation associated with the remedial signal generator.
 16. Thesystem according to claim 15, wherein the access comprises viewing. 17.The system according to claim 15, wherein the user facing applicationallows the user to make operational changes to the remedial signal. 18.The system according to claim 15, wherein an icon on a screen of thehandset of the portable communication device can provide the informationabout operation of the remedial device.
 19. The system according toclaim 11, wherein the other components include a camera of the portablecommunication device.
 20. A system for generation of a remedial signalfor potentially harmful radiation that is emitted by a portablecommunication device which is electronic and battery powered comprising:a) a handset as part of the portable communication device; b) abioprotection system implemented directly within the handset; c) amicroprocessor which operates the portable communication device and isconfigured to access information from other components of the portablecommunication device separate from the bioprotection system; and d) aremedial signal module is controlled by an algorithm in themicroprocessor; wherein the algorithm obtains information concerningradio frequency communications associated with the portablecommunication device and ensures that the remedial signal does notimpair the function of the other components of the portablecommunication device by overruling the bioprotection system to ensurethat the remedial signal is not activated or that the remedial signal isdeactivated when the other components are in use; and wherein the othercomponents include a camera of the portable communication device.